Democracy is joint government of peoples. This book justifies principles of government for liberal democratic peoples who are willing to enhance the transnational rights of their citizens and accept institutional constraints in the pursuit of common goals. Unlike individualistic accounts of cosmopolitan democracy, this book constructs the design of a free political community of democracies from the perspective of the liberal democratic peoples. If liberal peoples want to govern by common institutions without forgoing their sovereignty--many have good reasons to do so--they should consider the conceptual and normative guidance offered in this book.

An exploration of the idea of government of peoples who freely accept liberal democracy and try to realize democracy in their common institutions, the author proposes an integrated 'original position' consisting in a hypothetical agreement of liberal democratic peoples and potentially mobile citizens.